Like Romeo and Juliet
by multiplicities
Summary: Mukuro hates the mafia while Tsuna is a mafia heir. First love is never all that easy. Or pretty. 6927
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! does not belong to me.

**A/N: **I'm starting to think that I'm incapable of finishing any stories. And yet, I'm starting a new one, which doesn't have that much of chance of being finished, really. Funny enough, I already have the entire ending plotted out, and I know exactly what I want to write, I'm just having trouble writing it. Oh, well... Anyway, Tsuna and Mukuro are both OOC, though it's not too much. I think. Also, this story is in a alternate universe in which Mukuro never became a part of Tsuna's family, there are no rings, and the fantasy elements have been downplayed as much as possible. There is also a good chance that there will not be a happy ending. On the plus side, I don't think there's much in the way of grammar/spelling errors...? Oh, and please, please, please review.

* * *

According to Mukuro, the moment he fell in love with Tsuna was like a thunderbolt hitting him straight in the heart.

Tsuna firmly disagreed, both with the rather overdone imagery and the idea. He had been scared speechless, from what he remembered.

His classmates had, once again, tossed his belongings where he couldn't find them easily. Tsuna had to search every corner of Namimori High in order to collect all of his bags and books. As a result, he was almost the last student out of the gates. It was too bad, seeing as he had an incredible amount of homework to complete. Later, he also might be tortured – or trained, depending on who was asked – by his "tutor," Reborn.

He wasn't quite the last student, as evidenced by the distinctive sound of steel clashing and someone screaming from somewhere nearby. Tsuna froze, praying that whichever fighter was stronger would overlook him.

Then the pineapple-haired guy dropped out of a tree.

It wasn't the sight of him that left the greatest impression on Tsuna. He recognized the guy who had fallen from the tree as Rokudo Mukuro, one of his classmates that had transferred there in middle school. He'd always seemed a little creepy to Tsuna, actually. He could smell a cold, biting air just as sharply as he felt it, and there was an impression of cherry blossoms with just a hint of blood.

"Would you like to beg for your life?" he asked, facing away from Tsuna; his clothes were spotless while his opponent's clothes – Tsuna could see him now too, a rather short guy wearing a hood that revealed just a pouting lower lip – were in much worse shape.

Tsuna slowly backed up, holding back the whimpers that were threatening to take over only through supreme effort.

Unfortunately for him, the movement caught the attention of both the fighters. Mukuro said, "Don't move, boy," without even turning around – how did he do that? – and tilted the trident he was holding – what the heck? – so that the spikes were pointed more towards Tsuna's direction. Tsuna froze again.

"Mmph!" the shorter guy snarled, throwing something at Tsuna that looked, even at that distance, rather dangerous. Make that a very, very short person. Tsuna squeaked, just barely dodging the projectile. Why had that guy attacked him? Though come to think of it, the short guy who was clearly losing looked a little familiar.

Mukuro moved in, swiping lazily at the other with his trident and drawing a stream of blood. "Stop it!" Tsuna cried out, causing Mukuro to glance back at him for a second. He glimpsed raw flesh and something white before his stomach got the better of him.

He turned away, retching into the bushes. It was a good thing that he hadn't gotten the opportunity to eat lunch, courtesy of two female classmates who had egged their boyfriends on to torment him.

The opponent seemed to have taken the opportunity to run away, though Tsuna privately thought that the wound looked bad enough that he might not make it.

He started trembling, not daring to raise his head and look. He couldn't hear anything, which made Tsuna hope that Mukuro had, against all odds, left to chase after the other.

He looked up and saw mismatched eyes peering at him – from a very close angle. He was going to kill him; he was going to _kill_ Tsuna!

"Hiiieee!" Tsuna yelped, scrambling back on elbows and knees. He shut his eyes tightly because there was no way that Mukuro could just let him go, could he?

"Oya, oya. What do we have here?" Mukuro asked rhetorically.

Tsuna kept trembling, throat too paralyzed to answer.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, right?" He didn't wait for an answer and hoisted Tsuna up to his feet by grasping one scrawny arm with his spare hand. The motion brought Tsuna face to… spike with the business end of Mukuro's weapon.

Tsuna made a high-pitched sound in the back of his throat and fell completely silent.

"Oh, this? Don't worry about it," Mukuro said pleasantly, catching Tsuna staring at his trident and collapsing it. He then stashed it somewhere Tsuna couldn't see. He steered Tsuna out of the school with a hand laid lightly against his back.

"W-what was that?" Tsuna whispered, looking up at Mukuro with trepidation.

"So you _can_ speak, Tsunayoshi-kun~," Mukuro smirked. "Just a disagreement I had with an intruder."

"Really?" Tsuna asked hopefully. He had seen other classmates do worse to students from other schools, after all. It actually wasn't all that far-fetched, except that Tsuna had never seen Mukuro as all that attached to Namimori. Well, he supposed that he didn't know the other boy all that well, anyway.

"Of course," Mukuro reassured him, eyes glinting. "You can relax, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'm not going to hurt you."

Tsuna nodded and suddenly realized something. "Where are we going?"

"Kufufu. Isn't this the way to your home?"

"It is, but, how do you know that?" those last words coming out in a shriek. Ugh. Why couldn't he meet someone halfway normal for once?

Mukuro chuckled unnervingly again, continuing to guide Tsuna along the exact path that he walked everyday to his home. He was starting to suspect that, notwithstanding the other guy's attack, Mukuro might actually be the more dangerous of the two.

Under a cloud of near-complete silence, they made their way to Tsuna's home. Tsuna had tried to run away exactly once, but Mukuro had snagged him by his collar and dragged the boy back to his side, Tsuna screaming all the way. He draped an arm over Tsuna's shoulders instead and they walked the rest of the way in that position.

Tsuna wondered if Mukuro could feel his teeth chattering.

Before Tsuna could duck into the cover of his much-longed-for home, Mukuro firmly turned him back around to face him. The guy had really long limbs, didn't he?

Tsuna stared up, too petrified to move.

"You won't tell anyone about what happened, right, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Mukuro questioned, smiling gently enough to make the hairs on the back of Tsuna's neck stand up.

He shook his head desperately. What would be the point of telling someone, after all? He wasn't even sure what the fight had been about or who was right.

"Then it'll be our contract," Mukuro promised, brushing his lips across Tsuna's cheek.

Tsuna yelped shrilly, one hand coming up to shield his cheek.

Mukuro turned and walked away from Tsuna, who was still standing frozen in the entrance to his house.

"I'll take you somewhere tomorrow, to make up for the scare," Mukuro called back just when Tsuna thought he was about to turn the corner.

"Wait a moment! You can't just – there's no need to – I don't want to go!" Tsuna protested belatedly, since Mukuro had just gone out of sight. "Why me?"

He thought he could hear that distinctive laugh coming faintly from the distance.

He gave up correcting Mukuro's assumption for that day, and fairly sprinted into the safety of his home where no one would bother him except for Reborn and everyone associated with Reborn – oh. Well, so much for safety.

* * *

"So. You have a date, Dame-Tsuna."

"Don't eavesdrop on other people's conversations!" Tsuna yelled, used enough to his tutor's impromptu appearances to not be surprised when the suit-clad, gun-wielding baby popped out at him the moment he walked in.

"Get better clothes. A mafia boss should always be well-dressed and suave on dates."

"If you listened in, then didn't you hear me say that I'm not going?"

"Oh, you're going on a date, Tsuna-kun?" his mother injected, looking so pleased that Tsuna felt bad that he had to shatter her illusions. "I hope she's really pretty."

"Not a girl," Tsuna mumbled in hopes that his mother would let the subject drop.

"What was that, dear?" his mother asked. Tsuna felt his stomach drop at her hopeful smile.

"The person who wants to take me somewhere. He's not a girl," Tsuna said in the gloomiest tones possible.

"He's a boy…?" his mother questioned, looking taken aback. "Well, don't worry! I'll always support you no matter what you choose, Tsuna-kun!"

Tsuna fought the urge to slam his head into the wall. Instead of correcting his mother's misconceptions – he was _not_ going on a date – he trudged upstairs where no one could possibly bother him.

"Don't forget about the clothes, Tsuna," Reborn called after him. Tsuna just _knew_ the sadist was smirking. Really, why did everyone love to pick on him?

He threw himself onto the mattress, missed, and hit his knees on the wooden frame of the bed. Then he remembered where he had seen that person who had been fighting with Mukuro before.

Of course! It was Marmon – Marron – Mam-something-or-other.

Tsuna could feel himself go pale.

Mam-something had been one of Xanxus' Varia minions, from what he could recall. Though given what had happened to him…

During the seven fights that had taken place to determine who would succeed the Vongola Nono, Mam-something had fought with Chrome Dokuro, a mysterious girl who had come out of nowhere to fight for Tsuna. He still didn't know anything about her besides that she had been disowned by her parents and taken in by the Vongola later on.

Then Reborn had somehow gotten her to agree to fight for Tsuna, though the first time he had seen her was during the battles with Xanxus.

At first, the fight had seemed entirely on Xanxus' follower's side. He appeared to be the definite winner. When he'd swooped in for the kill, Tsuna recalled shouting for Chrome to surrender because he really didn't want anyone to die, even if it meant his loss.

He could remember the way Chrome had looked at him, then – her lips slightly parted and eyes wide with surprise. She'd kept on staring at him as if she didn't understand why he had asked her to surrender. Tsuna didn't understand that look.

Then before she could get hit, she dodged and commenced one of the most spectacular one-sided fights that Tsuna had ever seen. Mam-something-or-other hadn't stood a chance against her.

At the end, she had won, bringing Tsuna a much-needed win. She'd disappeared shortly afterwards, and even though Tsuna had asked Reborn repeated about where she was, he had never gotten a straight answer.

Tsuna remembered how she had kissed him on the cheek after the fight. Somehow, it reminded him of the way Mukuro had kissed him – both testing and expecting nothing in return.

He groaned and flung an arm over his eyes. This was way too complicated. What was going on?

* * *

"For you, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro generously offered Tsuna a bouquet of flowers. Not being a connoisseur, Tsuna only knew that they weren't roses and they smelled sort of funny.

"No thanks, Mukuro," he replied, pushing them away and refusing to look Mukuro in the eye. This was way too embarrassing.

"Don't you like them? I picked them out especially for you," Mukuro crooned. Tsuna hated Reborn for doing this, though he had to admit that his mother hadn't needed much persuasion to prepare Tsuna for his "date." He had a sneaking suspicion that his mother considered this his last chance to have a romantic relationship, and so she was pushing him towards the first available person as much as she could.

"I'd like them a lot better if I was a girl," Tsuna said drily.

Mukuro hummed, clasping Tsuna's hand and leading him away from safety. He wanted to go home already.

Once they were on the street, Tsuna snatched his hand away. "I'm not a girl, you know," he said defiantly, staring up at Mukuro's – admittedly higher – eyes. What, was he wearing one contact or something to get that weird effect? Tsuna felt a weird temptation to giggle at the thought of someone who used just one contact – too lopsided.

"Of course not," Mukuro replied, reaching out for Tsuna's hand again.

"Then why don't you stop holding my hand?" Tsuna hissed, mortified at the thought of the people who'd be staring at two boys like that.

"I… can't?" Mukuro questioned forlornly, head tilted rather coquettishly. He pouted. Boys weren't supposed to pout.

"I – oh, fine," Tsuna grumbled, grabbing the other's hand and pulling him off at a quick speed. He refused to turn his head and see Mukuro's look of triumph.

A few blocks later and Tsuna was starting to realize that he didn't have any idea where they were supposed to go.

However, it was nearing dinnertime. Tsuna really didn't want to lost face by admitting to Mukuro that he was lost, so the moment he saw an okonomiyaki stand he pulled Mukuro in there. It looked pretty cheap, at least.

"How quaint," Mukuro remarked, glancing around, his dark button-up shirt and neatly pressed pants looking far too formal for this type of setting.

Tsuna flushed to the tips of his ears, realizing too late that Mukuro probably didn't want to eat at such a place. He didn't want to look indecisive now. He was already wishing that this was over, though. Shouldn't Mukuro's idea of repayment feel like less of a chore to Tsuna?

They sat down and ordered.

Tsuna's memory of the date was more a blurred recollection of misery and embarrassment than anything else. Mukuro had spent nearly the entire meal staring at Tsuna eat and smiling absentmindedly whenever Tsuna got something on his face. Mukuro had also watched the people outside with sharp eyes, but his gaze turned gentler every time he looked back at Tsuna.

Tsuna wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Home, Mama, Reborn…

Then they needed to pay, but Mukuro insisted on paying for Tsuna.

"No, it's fine. I brought money," Tsuna pleaded. "I want to pay for myself."

"It's my treat, Tsuna-kun," Mukuro smiled. "You don't want me to be rude, do you?"

"Why can't I pay?" Tsuna whined.

"Because…" Mukuro trailed off, diving in for another kiss on the cheek. Well, if that was his strategy, then it worked very well. Tsuna stayed shell-shocked for the entire time that it took for Mukuro to pay the owner and get both of them back onto the street.

"'Because' isn't an answer," Tsuna grumbled, glaring at Mukuro accusingly.

"Then how about this one?" Mukuro asked, looking amused. "I love you."

Tsuna spluttered, entirely unable to make a retort.

Mukuro laughed and reclaimed Tsuna's hand. Tsuna still couldn't say anything. This was getting to be a familiar state in Mukuro's presence. He couldn't possibly mean that he actually loved Tsuna, after all. It wasn't just that Tsuna was Dame-Tsuna, it was also the fact that they had never been friendly enough to be even acquaintances, just classmates, not to mention that they were both male.

Mukuro was confusing. He was probably just teasing Tsuna, or worse, he wanted Tsuna to get attached to him and once he did…

Tsuna decided to just treat it as a joke.

"You just want s-s-sex," Tsuna accused. He didn't think he'd ever said the word out loud before.

"Well, since you put it that way..." Mukuro laughed, waggling his eyebrows.

"No." Tsuna was very firm on this point. Of course he wasn't behaving like an innocent maiden, either. He was a boy who just wasn't interested in sex.

Mukuro looked like he was about to make some kind of rejoinder, and then they were interrupted in their more or less peaceful walk by a certain silver-haired classmate.

"Tenth, get away from him!" Gokudera cried, digging for his bombs with one hand while trying to push away Mukuro with the other. Mukuro stared back; his pose suggested that Gokudera would have just as much success moving him as he would a statue.

Tsuna could have died from mortification. Gokudera always seemed to drag the two of them into the most worst situations.

"I'll protect you, Tenth!" Gokudera assured Tsuna, already lighting up a stick of dynamite with his cigarette.

"Don't!" Tsuna cried frantically. He had seen Mukuro fight and he had seen Gokudera fight. He did not want to see the remains of the street after both of them had fought there. Couldn't Gokudera be less impetuous?

He yanked his arm from Mukuro's grasp, ignoring the frown the other boy wore, and held onto Gokudera's shoulders, forcing him to look at Tsuna.

"It's okay, Gokudera-kun," he explained quickly. "Mukuro was just walking me home."

"Well, if you're sure, Tenth," Gokudera replied dubiously, sending a rather inappropriate gesture with his hand at Mukuro. Tsuna decided to ignore it. He chanced a look back at Mukuro, who to Tsuna's relief had not pulled out any weapons. He was, however, staring coldly at Gokudera.

"Who is this, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Mukuro inquired, his voice pleasant but something threatening in his tone.

"Oh, this is Gokudera Hayato. He's one of our classmates, and he's one of my friends, too," Tsuna introduced. "Gokudera, this is Rokudo Mukuro. He's been, um, taking me to get food."

"I know who he is," Gokudera growled. Then why did you attack him, Tsuna wanted to ask; he seemed to have been relegated to peacemaker, though, so he couldn't just ask awkward questions. In this case, he was pretty sure that it was a question for which he didn't want the answer.

"Yes, I know," Mukuro said shortly. Tsuna swallowed his shout of "Then don't ask!" with difficulty. Seriously, what was wrong with them?

"I'll walk you home, Tenth," Gokudera quickly offered, looking at Tsuna with the kind of devotion that Tsuna usually associated with the idealized dog.

"No, it's okay," Tsuna replied. Mukuro was starting to look a tad more homicidal, or was that just his imagination? There seemed to be a lot of unspoken undercurrents to this, and Tsuna felt as though most of them were going over his head. Tsuna swallowed, hard. "Mukuro will make sure I get back safely."

"All right," Gokudera said. He started shuffling off gloomily, looking back every now and then - probably to make sure that Mukuro hadn't suddenly attacked Tsuna while his back was turned.

Mukuro stared back at him all the way, lips pressed tightly together. When Gokudera was finally far enough, Mukuro pivoted sharply and pulled Tsuna along to keep walking towards what Tsuna fervently hoped would be the direction of his home.

"You shouldn't see him anymore," Mukuro abruptly said, not looking at Tsuna.

"W-what?" Tsuna gasped, half angry at Mukuro's presumption and half scared because Mukuro looked a little angry.

"Gokudera. You shouldn't associate with him," Mukuro said.

"Why not?" Tsuna questioned, irritated that Mukuro could think that he had any say over Tsuna's relationship with anyone else.

"He's a member of the Vongola, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro stopped walking and gently turned Tsuna to face him. "He's part of the mafia."

Tsuna, strangely enough, wanted to laugh. Didn't Mukuro know that Tsuna himself was also a member of the mafia? For that matter, Mukuro had been fighting that guy the other day, and Tsuna had thought Mukuro himself was associated with another mafia family.

However, if Mukuro didn't know… then why had he let Tsuna go? And why was he still interested in Tsuna if he believed that Tsuna was a civilian?

Mukuro seemed to take Tsuna's silence as a sign of disbelief.

"Trust me, Tsunayoshi-kun. I know that Gokudera's part of the mafia," Mukuro insisted. "I don't know why he's hanging around you, but-"

"You're wrong," Tsuna argued, conviction in his eyes. "Gokudera-kun would never hurt me."

"Tsuna," Mukuro shook him slightly, trying to get his point across. "You have no idea what the mafia is capable of."

For once, Mukuro looked utterly serious. Tsuna thought that Mukuro might be genuinely concerned; however, he didn't know that Tsuna was part of the mafia himself. Speaking of which… "Then what are you? How do you know that Gokudera's in the mafia?"

"I-" Mukuro broke off, impatiently flicking his bangs out of his eyes. "I hate the mafia."

"Why?" Tsuna asked simply.

"Does it matter?" Mukuro asked bitterly. The vitriol in his eyes made Tsuna flinch. Mukuro apologized wordlessly, brushing a finger over Tsuna's eyes. "The sky is blue. The sun rises every day. I just _do_."

"Oh…" Tsuna quietly answered. He really didn't want to tell Mukuro that he was part of that mafia that he hated so much. He didn't want to see his reaction, especially since Tsuna was pretty much sure that he wasn't a match for Mukuro. However, there had to be more than just that to Mukuro's reaction.

They made their way home in an uncomfortable silence.

Tsuna started to walk in, aware that Mukuro was staring at his back. He didn't expect a goodbye, given how their "date" had ended.

"Tsunayoshi-kun?" Mukuro called after him.

Tsuna turned, wary.

"I really do love you, you know," Mukuro said quietly, his face solemn.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hide me, Yamamoto-kun," Tsuna gasped, ducking behind his taller friend. No, he wasn't short. Yamamoto was just too tall.

Mukuro had been following – read: stalking – him from at least the time that Tsuna had passed the pastry shop. It was completely possible that it had been longer than that, maybe from the moment that Tsuna had exited his room.

Tsuna resolved to buy new curtains for his windows. It didn't matter whether or not he'd have to replace them every time _someone_ destroyed them. Though, Reborn would have said something if he'd sensed Mukuro nearby… wouldn't he?

"Is this another game?" Yamamoto asked genially.

"No, it's not a game! I'm really hiding from someone who doesn't like the mafia!" Tsuna said frantically. "He's been following me, Yamamoto-kun!"

"Oh, I get it! You're playing hide-and-seek!"

"You baseball idiot! If the Tenth says that he's in danger, then he's in danger! Would you like me to take care of him, Tenth?"

"You're so devoted, Gokudera-kun."

"Please don't do anything… destructive, Gokudera-kun."

To Tsuna's relief, he couldn't see Mukuro anywhere now.

Then he caught a glimpse of blue hair peeking out from around the corner.

"Let's go, both of you!"

Tsuna started running. He swerved across several streets, went through a few shortcuts, and still felt Mukuro's presence somewhere behind him. Yamamoto and Gokudera were close behind, though Yamamoto was laughing at how fun it was before he outstripped Tsuna's pace easily. Gokudera was hissing at Yamamoto to shut up, as always.

Oh, wait. Weren't all of them going to the same place? And given how long it had taken them to take the route designed to shake someone off…

Tsuna really needed to stop hanging around these gangster types.

"Hiiieee! Hibari-san's going to kill us!"

Who cared about Mukuro catching up to them? As strong as he seemed, Tsuna was sure that the three of them together would be more of a match.

He was aware, however, that this wasn't the real reason why he was avoiding Mukuro. It was more the fact that Mukuro had said that he loved him.

Tsuna remembered seeing a boy in middle school tell a rather plain nerdy girl that he loved her. The girl had been ecstatic, if he remembered correctly. Then, the boy had told her that he had been joking; the 'confession' was due to a bet on whether or not he could get the girl to believe him. The look on her face…

And the male classmate hadn't showed any remorse. He had actually teased the girl about it mercilessly whenever he saw her. She wasn't at Namimori anymore.

Something like this had never happened to Tsuna, but he knew that he made a good target. At least he could be sure that Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei were on his side. Kyoko-chan, too, had said that Tsuna was her friend. Kyoko-chan was so pretty, and friendly, and perfect.

Mukuro was nothing like Kyoko-chan. He'd probably be perfectly willing to hurt someone else just because he could. There was also something else that made Tsuna unwilling to face Mukuro yet.

"Yamamoto-kun, what do you think about Mukuro? You know, the one in our class?" he asked, really wanting to know Yamamoto's answer. He knew everyone, and Tsuna trusted his judgment.

It had to be better than his mother's decision to make him dress up and go on a date with the guy, anyway. Tsuna shuddered. He couldn't believe that his mother had been watching to see Mukuro take Tsuna back, had seen…

Lambo had even told Tsuna self-importantly that he shouldn't have let someone kiss him on the first date. Maybe there was a reason why some parents abused their children, after all.

"About Mukuro?" Yamamoto echoed, frowning lightly. "He's pretty popular with the girls, I guess. I think he's doing well with schoolwork, except he's out a lot of the time. Why do you ask?"

"Ah – no reason," Tsuna said. Well, he had expected girls to be attracted to Mukuro, really. The guy was very good-looking. Tsuna was not gay, by the way. He'd never been attracted to a guy before.

To be fair, he'd never been attracted to a girl before either, except for Kyoko-chan. Dr. Shamal had once offered him some suspicious magazines once, but Tsuna couldn't really see the appeal in girls who were half-naked. He didn't want to see Kyoko-chan in her underwear, either. He just wanted her to smile at him.

Did that make him weird?

"Tenth, I need to tell you something," Gokudera suddenly announced, eyebrows knitting together to make his expression look more urgent.

"W-what is it?"

"It's about Mukuro. This doesn't concern _you_, baseball idiot," he snapped at Yamamoto, who grinned back. "Go away."

"It's okay, Gokudera-kun. I'm sure he's trustworthy." In fact, Tsuna would much rather depend on Yamamoto than Gokudera. Not that he would ever say as much to his explosives expert – he specialized in bombs and such, after all.

"Fine, you can stay," Gokudera growled, leading them into an alley and motioning for them to huddle together. He leaned in, the three heads barely centimeters apart. Tsuna wondered if his information really warranted the melodrama.

"He's a wanted criminal."

"Aren't we part of the mafia in Tsuna's game, Gokudera-kun? So we're wanted criminals, too," Yamamoto pointed out immediately.

"Shut up," he snapped. "No, Mukuro's wanted by a bunch of mafia families! He's a considered a criminal by the mafia world; he's supposed to be really, really dangerous. I heard that he killed off an entire family in Italy and then he had to flee here."

"But Mukuro transferred here in middle school, Gokudera. He'd have to have killed them before he was... mm, about twelve?" Yamamoto objected.

"No way. He's been in my class for years," Tsuna said. However, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of Lambo, who had been a trained assassin from the Bovino family at the age of five. Tsuna himself had been approached and trained by Reborn only a year after Mukuro had came.

It really wasn't that farfetched.

Except…

"Wait, wouldn't Reborn have said something about it? We've been in the same class for _years_! He'd have told me if Mukuro was a criminal, right?" Tsuna squeaked. As a matter of fact, he wasn't sure if Reborn would have told him.

"I think maybe he wanted to leave Mukuro alone," Gokudera said, frowning. "He has a dampening effect on this area, you know."

"A d-dampening effect?" Tsuna's eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah, I get it! Think of it this way, Tsuna – if there's a really strong baseball team in the area, then all the other baseball teams will think that they can't win, so they'll practice less. Maybe some of the players will even move out of the area! Or, you could think of it as a really good sushi restaurant. If there's one restaurant that sells great sushi at a low price, then no other ones will open nearby! Got it?" Yamamoto spoke excitedly.

There was a pause.

"You _idiot_."

* * *

Given all the extra time that they had taken up discussing or running away from Mukuro, Tsuna wasn't all that surprised that they were late.

Hibari-san, gazing at them predatorily and shifting slowly so that the edge of tonfas drew their attention, was also not a surprise.

When Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto managed to crawl up from the ground and make their painful way into the classroom, none of their classmates looked surprised either. Tsuna smiled weakly, watching Gokudera glower at anyone who looked at him wrong and Yamamoto limp cheerfully to his seat.

Hibari-san hit hard.

Once, Tsuna had won against Hibari. It was a difficult situation, with Hibari about to attack some of Longchamp's people that had attacked Tsuna's family. They were mostly down though

One of those men had proclaimed that they had no choice but to resort to their ultimate weapon. Then, Longchamp-san had just burst into tears then started a monologue on how pitiful his life was. Tsuna wanted to know how it was possible for a grown boy – a mafia boss, at that – to appear so pathetic.

It was an interesting ultimate weapon, though. He had to give them that.

The problem was that Hibari was perfectly willing to beat up someone blubbering worse than a baby. Tsuna had shouted at him to stop, but since when had Hibari listened to anyone, even his boss?

He'd bet anything the Nono had never gotten beat up by one of his own subordinates.

So Tsuna had gone in, like an idiot, to save the boss of a rival family. He'd faced Hibari. Tsuna still wasn't sure how he'd won. He just knew that he'd ended up looking a lot worse than Hibari did. Well, he was still inordinately proud of triumphing against Hibari.

Hibari, of course, had gone after Tsuna the next time he'd seen him. Tsuna had wound up in the hospital. Hibari-san had seemed disappointed, but Tsuna had steadily lost against him ever since.

It was interesting how he could read Mukuro's smiles, actually.

The moment the three of them had entered the classroom, Mukuro had smiled happily at him when catching sight of Tsuna. His smile had gone a little flat when he saw Yamamoto and Gokudera. When he'd noticed Tsuna's tonfa-inflicted wounds, his smile had almost disappeared and then returned sickeningly sweet.

Tsuna had a bad feeling about this.

He hadn't really paid all that much attention during class, due to his body hurting. He had noticed Mukuro throwing a few concerned looks towards his direction.

If anything, Tsuna had even less desire to go near Mukuro than before he heard Gokudera's revelations. He had no reason to doubt Gokudera's statements. What could make a twelve-year-old massacre an entire mafia family?

And what would happen if Mukuro found out that Tsuna was part of one?

Tsuna had very finely-tuned self-preservation instincts. All of his instincts were telling him to stay away from Mukuro. The only thing was that Mukuro didn't act dangerous or even rude.

During lunch time, Tsuna went to join his friends.

Before he reached them, he was grabbed, one hand over his arm and the other covering his mouth. Well, the glove was a dead giveaway. In fact, were black leather gloves even allowed in school?

Mukuro manhandled Tsuna into a separate room, winking at one girl who was staring at the spectacle they must have made.

"…We're in a supply closet."

"So we are. Now, why have you been avoiding me, Tsuna-kun?" Mukuro inquired sweetly, leaning farther towards Tsuna than he was entirely comfortable with. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Terrified," Tsuna blurted out, the statement closer to the truth than he would have preferred. He'd never been given this much attention before by one person, and the sensation was both frightening and flattering at the same time.

He didn't want to think too much about the flattering part.

"I thought I told you that Gokudera Hayato was part of the mafia."

Tsuna responded to the unspoken question only some omission of truth. "I know what he is, but Gokudera-kun's my friend. I don't care what if he's in the mafia."

"Really. But you care that I'm a mafia vigilante?"

"N-no, it's more that… umm…" Tsuna squirmed.

"I make you uncomfortable, don't I?" Mukuro questioned, tracing a bruise on Tsuna's arm. "Are you attracted to me, Sawada Tsunayoshi~?"

Tsuna flushed, looking down. He _was_ attracted, unfortunately for him. Mukuro was probably smirking again.

"Don't worry. I love you," Mukuro whispered, lifting Tsuna's chin. He came closer and closer still as Tsuna stared at those eyes. There was something really strange about that red eye...

Tsuna was petrified, unable to close his eyes or move as Mukuro came closer. He didn't want Mukuro to kiss him. He was a little curious, but he still did not want to be kissed.

The whole situation was starting to remind Tsuna of a cheesy romance novel.

"Leave him alone! Pineapple freak!"

Whew. Tsuna could have kissed – er, hugged – Gokudera. Apparently he wasn't the only who looked at Mukuro's head and thought of a pineapple, either.

Mukuro pulled out his trident out of nowhere, deflecting Gokudera's dynamite. That couldn't possibly be school-safe, could it…?

"Both of you, p-please stop it! You'll hurt someone!" Tsuna pleaded. Not to mention the fact that two people battling like this wasn't suspicious _at all_.

"Gokudera Hayato, isn't it? I'll give you one chance. Stay away from Tsuna," Mukuro demanded. Tsuna wanted to hit him for trying to pry into his life. What was he, a jealous boyfriend?

"_Bite me_."

Tsuna winced. Bite was always associated with Hibari-san, and there was no way that the prefect wouldn't retaliate for the wreck that they had made out of the door. He was also aware that they were gathering a crowd, though the smoke from the bombs covered some of it.

"You are affiliated with the Vongola. If you truly care about Tsuna-kun, then don't you think that you're putting him into danger by being near him?" Mukuro needled Gokudera, smiling coldly.

"What are you-?" Gokudera broke off, possibly because Tsuna was frantically shaking his head and mouthing 'no.' If Mukuro didn't already know that Tsuna was the one who had brought Gokudera into the Vongola, then he didn't want him to find out. "Well, you're more of a criminal than I am! You've been sentenced to life imprisonment and death by the mafia for unforgivable actions!"

"And you've never been in trouble with the law, Gokudera-kun?" Mukuro injected smoothly.

"I've only been arrested once for terrorism!" Gokudera said proudly.

Tsuna fought the urge to put his head into his hands. Hopefully anyone watching would just take it as a joke. Actually, it was getting really quiet all of a sudden…

"What are you herbivores doing?"

No wonder. Hibari-san was on the prowl. Tsuna jumped as Hibari's gaze landed directly on him first.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. Explain. _Now_," Hibari demanded, not missing the ruined supplies closet or the weapons in Gokudera's and Mukuro's hands.

"Kufufu. I wonder how long it would take for me to beat you, little bird," Mukuro said silkily. "Five minutes, perhaps? I still haven't eaten lunch yet." And whose fault was that?

Hibari's head swung slowly to regard Mukuro and then he attacked, too fast a blur for Tsuna to make out. Mukuro countered, which was more than most people were capable of.

"Not in here!" Tsuna screamed after them. The two jumped out of a window, breaking the glass. Several girls shrieked. They landed perfectly fine on the ground outside, not even stumbling, as far as Tsuna could tell. He almost wished that they'd both broken their legs.

He was extremely curious about who was the better fighter, though. It looked like they were evenly matched. Gokudera and the majority of the students were rooting for Hibari.

When the teachers came to herd them back into their classrooms, it really was impossible to get anyone in the mood to study.

* * *

"Excuse me, boss? I have something to show you," Chrome's soft voice drifted out.

Tsuna looked casually in her direction and had to stifle a scream. Chrome was framed by his open window and most likely standing on the ledge. He had no idea how she had gotten there, though.

"C-chrome-chan! How are you?" Tsuna stuttered, reaching out a hand to help her in. He'd wanted to see her, but the timing couldn't have been worse. He fidgeted, aware that she was seeing him in his pajamas.

"Here. Reborn-san asked me to investigate this for you," she told him, standing nervously on the floor of his bedroom and giving him a videotape.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You'll see. Just watch it, please, Tsuna-kun."

"Thank you."

Before Chrome turned her head and left, Tsuna could have sworn that he saw her blush.

* * *

**A/N:** And the plot thickens! ...Or does it? It's pretty obvious what the videotape's concerned with, isn't it? I really want to make Mukuro meet Chrome, but I'm not entirely sure how - well, whatever. By the way, is it normal to listen to one song over and over again when you're writing something?

No, this is not going to be 692796. There is no 1827, unless a really perverted mind decides to take it that way. Though, maybe I should try to get Chrome and Tsuna together? Wow, I can almost feel the flames already.


	3. Chapter 3

Tsuna popped the video in, too curious to wait until morning to watch it.

As soon as it started playing, he wished that he hadn't. He'd never known Chrome to be so good at questioning other people mafia style, and it was still something he preferred not to know, never mind Reborn's admonishments that he should get to know the members of his family better.

Just in case, he barricaded his door and shut his window, drawing the curtains across. He did not want Lambo or worse, his mother, seeing this.

Chrome did not use the ordinary beat-someone-until-they-tell-everything-they-know tactic, though she was perfectly capable of beating up men twice her size and age. No, she used another person – someone who fit the picture of an ideal bruiser – to do that while she herself played mindgames with the two people being interrogated.

Their names, apparently, were Ken and Chikusa. They obeyed and served Rokudo Mukuro.

Sometimes, Tsuna really hated Reborn.

He could tell that they were immensely loyal to Mukuro, which made him wonder. What kind of person could inspire such loyalty? Surely no one completely bad would ever have such devoted followers.

They steadily refused to say anything about their leader, regardless of the tactics that Chrome used. Of course, anyone can break under enough pressure.

After Chrome had suggested in her quiet, beautiful voice that she shatter all the bones in Ken's legs and break Chikusa's fingers, it did produce results though it took several rounds of profanity and some applied force.

Tsuna really admired those two people, though. He would have broken long ago, probably. Not that he felt like testing his resistance.

Ken started speaking. He told Chrome and the video recorder that the three of them originally came from Italy, which was no surprise, and from the Estraneo family, which didn't really mean anything to Tsuna.

That is, it didn't mean anything until he learned from Ken that the Estraneo family had been annihilated – because that was the only way he could put it – by Rokudo Mukuro.

He listened to the accounts that Ken and Chikusa gave, both citing the things that had been done to them and the other children by the Estraneo family. Mukuro, it seemed hadn't been among them, but he had still held a strong grudge against the mafia family.

Ken, on the other hand, had filed teeth and moved like a wild animal struggling in a cage. It was possible that this could be chalked up to experiments performed on him, or it might just be part of his personality. Chikusa seemed normal, except for that mark – Tsuna squinted to see better – on his cheek.

Just as Gokudera had told him, Mukuro had indeed escaped from Italy and came to Japan because he was the target of the mafia's internal policing system. Tsuna wanted to scream.

How could a wanted criminal just waltz into a school and stay there like some carefree student?

And then –

"What are Rokudo Mukuro's intentions with Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"With who? Oh, that mousy guy that he's always stalking. How the hell would I know?"

"Oh? Why is the Vongola mafia family interested in that boy?"

"You do not need to know. Answer the question."

"I mean, I don't get it either. Mukuro-sama's always following him around, though. Heck if I understand why."

"He seems to be a pretty ordinary boy."

The videotape ended.

Tsuna had a lot to think about.

For example, it appeared as though Mukuro was really involved in the mafia or against it. However, the experiments that had been mentioned didn't seem to have affected Mukuro directly – so why would he be so embittered against the mafia? Why kill them at all?

At least it appeared as though Mukuro really didn't know about him. Tsuna felt a warm glow somewhere inside him, because that meant Mukuro liked him for himself alone. It would be nice if Mukuro really wasn't trying to use him or even to get close to him just because he was the Vongola Decimo.

That just made it even more difficult to tell Mukuro about who he really was, though. Well, he wouldn't think about it now. Maybe tomorrow.

What would happen to Ken and Chikusa? They couldn't just return them, but he wanted to make sure that they were okay.

"Reborn?" Tsuna asked, yawning a little. Reborn was usually there, somewhere.

"Don't worry about them. They'll be fine." As usual, Reborn could read minds. He wanted to know what that meant, though.

What about Chrome? Would she be fine? It was really cruel to make a young girl, just like Kyoko-chan, do things like that. If this was what the mafia did to people, then didn't Mukuro have a point in hating them…?

…Tsuna fell asleep.

* * *

When Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto made their way to the school entrance, there was already a large crowd of students and teachers there. One person, who looked a lot like their principal, was currently bawling out loud.

It wasn't that rare a sight, actually. Now that Tsuna thought about it, that said a lot about the state of their school.

"Maybe we're early?" Yamamoto suggested, looking puzzled.

Tsuna shrugged. Gokudera started pushing a few people out of the way to make a path, then stopped dead in his tracks.

"Gokudera-kun, what is-?" Tsuna's voice trailed off.

Namimori High looked like a battlefield.

Upon closer inspection, the damage wasn't that extensive. It looked worse than it was, clearly. Sure, the grounds were ruined and the trees were pretty much destroyed, but the structure of the school itself still looked more or less usable.

The windows needed to be replaced, though. Some glue and tape wouldn't cut it.

It was rather surprising that Hibari-san would allow his school to be damaged, much less be responsible for the damage himself.

He certainly had the money and resources to repair it, though.

There was a flash of light on metal then a clash. Somewhere far into the distance, Tsuna could see Hibari's trademark jacket on the ground. He had to admire Mukuro's fighting skills.

"Kufufu…" echoed across the grounds. Mukuro's personality could definitely use some work.

"How long do you think they've been fighting?" Dr. Shamal popped up, eyebrows raised. He shoved a cigarette into his mouth, not bothering to light it.

"Scary," Tsuna whispered, not able to imagine how someone could fight all night and still have enough energy to keep going into the morning. Wait, it wasn't possible.

Maybe Hibari-san really was a robot created just to pace Namimori's halls, as some students had speculated. Mukuro was just a freak of nature.

Or maybe they had agreed to go home and rest then come back so they could resume their fight the next day for dramatic effect. It would definitely suit Mukuro's theatrical nature. Hibari probably wouldn't have agreed, though.

The more he thought about it, the more he wished he had stayed home today.

"Watching them kind of makes me want to jump into the fight," Yamamoto said.

"Please don't!"

"Yeah, you're too weak. Baseball idiot," Gokudera jeered.

"Haha, then we can fight them together, Gokudera-kun~."

"Who wants to fight with you!"

"C-come on, guys, I'm sure they'll stop. Eventually," Tsuna tried to reason. Honestly, he had the feeling that they would only stop when one of them went down.

"Doubt it. That prefect of yours is like a shark. Once he smells blood, he won't stop until you're dead," Shamal grinned, ignoring a female teacher's indignant glare at his cigarette. She could have been glaring at his unkempt hair and unshaven face, too.

"Hibari-san will win," someone stated confidently from behind them. Tsuna nearly twisted his head off to look back. Kusakabe, one of the prefects under Hibari's… ah, "leadership," gave them a nod.

Tsuna only wished he could be that confident. He wasn't entirely sure who he wanted to win.

"I'd like to see that Mukuro get beaten up," Gokudera said. From the way his hands were twitching, though, it seemed as though he'd prefer to do the beating up himself.

"So you're rooting for Hibari, Gokudera?" Yamamoto asked. "I guess I'll root for Mukuro, then. It's always nice to see the underdog win."

"Mukuro. I've heard things about him," Dr. Shamal said. Tsuna bit his tongue, wanting to ask about the things he'd heard.

"What about you, Tenth?" Tsuna fidgeted, aware that even Shamal and Kusakabe-san were looking at him, waiting for his answer.

"I don't want them to fight," he said honestly.

"Ahaha! That's our Tsuna!" Yamamoto smiled at him, slinging an arm around his back. Gokudera scowled.

"Get your hands off the Tenth!" It looked like the scene was about to devolve into another one-sided fight between the baseball player and the bomber, again. Of course, that would be too simple.

"Then stop them, Dame-Tsuna."

"Wah! Where did you come from?" He should have known, really. Reborn had been making himself scarce the last couple of days. It could have been worse. He could have had a secret base in the supplies closet.

Tsuna shuddered.

"Make them stop fighting. You can do it," Reborn told him, the supposedly inspirational speech ruined by the mechanical tone in which he was speaking.

"I believe in you, Tenth," Gokudera stated fervently.

"Uh… I'd really rather not…" Tsuna said weakly.

Reborn shoved him hard. Tsuna went flying, literally, through the air. It wasn't fair, wasn't fair! Stupid Reborn…

The only good part of having a tutor like Reborn was that it accustomed Tsuna to situations like this. He had already been pushed and kicked into fights so often that it was second nature for Tsuna to pull out his X gloves and prepare himself for a landing.

He shoved on his gloves, aware that they looked pretty cool. Reborn's accuracy was first-rate, as usual, because it looked like he was about to land right in the middle of Mukuro and Hibari's fight.

They were in fairly bad shape, Hibari with several bleeding wounds and blood covering his white shirt. Mukuro, on the other hand, was moving as though he had some broken bones – probably not any vital ones, if he was still able to fight.

Tsuna revised his opinion. The two of them clearly needed to spend time in an asylum. Though when he thought about it, so did the majority of the people he knew…

He let out a sigh as he landed perfectly, one foot touching the ground lightly and the other foot following. Hibari and Mukuro were staring at him, if not in awe then at least something that looked like respect. Then – he tripped over his shoelaces.

He shoved himself up from the ground, groaning. At least the two had stopped.

"Hibari-san! Mukuro-san!" Tsuna shouted assertively. "P-please stop fighting…"

"No. Are you trying to order me around, herbivore?"

"Not even for you, Tsuna-kun~, but I promise I'll make it up to you after I kill him."

"Try it." Hibari raised his tonfas as Mukuro smirked and spun his trident around in an unnecessary flourish.

"T-then…" Tsuna stuttered. His eyes sharpened as he thought about how stupid the two of them were being, and how he really, really didn't want to go to Reborn without having completed the task he'd been set. "I'll stop you."

"Oya, oya. I wouldn't suggest it, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro had a displeased expression on his face as he regarded Tsuna, looking at him as a threat for possibly the first time.

"Hmph." Hibari was aware of what Tsuna was capable of doing when he was really under pressure, and his gaze was turning decidedly predatory. Tsuna raised his head, looking at both of them with determination.

_He was Sawada Tsunayoshi, Tenth boss of the Vongola. He would not allow this to turn into a bloodbath._

He moved in.

* * *

"Here, can you take Hibari-san, Kusakabe-san?" Tsuna asked wearily.

Kusakabe took one of Hibari's arms from Tsuna, both eyebrows raised. Tsuna tried to imagine him giving the feared head prefect a piggy-back ride or, god forbid, carrying him in his arms. He couldn't.

"Next time." Despite Hibari's current state, he still appeared perfectly lucid. The way he looked at Tsuna did, indeed, promise that there would be a next time. Tsuna shuddered, hoping it wouldn't come too soon. Maybe he should ask for a few days off just in case.

His whole body hurt but it appeared as though Hibari and Mukuro could barely move.

"You should get those cuts looked at, Hibari-san," he said, genuinely worried. Hibari was part of his family, after all.

Hibari snorted, hobbling away with his arm still around his second-in-command's shoulders. The other students scattered, unwilling to stare even when Hibari was next thing to helpless. The way his eyes were icily glaring at anyone around helped, too.

"Mukuro-san, where do you live?" Tsuna asked, shifting Mukuro's arm from around his neck so he could get him onto the ground. Mukuro was quite heavy. The trident he'd insisted on having brought along also added quite a bit of weight.

"Kokuyo," Mukuro answered shortly for once. He had continued to look at Tsuna appraisingly even as he'd been forced to rely on him to move anywhere.

"Kokuyo? But that place is a mess!" Yamamoto protested. "You can't go there. If you wait, we can call an ambulance."

"…"

"Or Dr. Shamal could treat you," Yamamoto said belatedly, seeming to recall that Mukuro wasn't the type of person who'd be welcome at hospitals. The trident might not be allowed in there.

"I only treat women. He might look feminine, but-"

"Would you like me to prove that I'm not a girl?" Mukuro interrupted, hand already reaching down to dangerous areas.

"Hiiieee!" Tsuna was actually pretty sure that he wasn't, honestly.

"Well, we can't just leave him here," Yamamoto said reasonably.

"I don't see why not," Gokudera grumbled.

Tsuna sighed. It looked as though the fates were all conspiring against him to make him do something he really didn't want to do. Again.

"He can stay at my home until he's better, I guess," Tsuna said reluctantly.

"Oh?" Mukuro smirked, a purely speculative look making its way into his eyes.

"Not like that! Just until he gets better!"

"But Tenth…" Gokudera appeared to steel himself for the worst, "I could always take him into my house, to spare you the trouble! Besides, what if he attacks you?"

To be honest, Tsuna wasn't sure if Gokudera had a home. From what he had seen, Gokudera might very well camp out in front of Tsuna's house so he could be there every day to say "good morning, Tenth!" the moment Tsuna came out of the door.

"N-no, I'll be fine," Tsuna smiled wanly.

He wasn't sure why he was doing this. However, if Kokuyo really was a mess, then he'd be heartless to make Mukuro return there.

He felt somewhat responsible for the whole situation, too. If it hadn't been for Tsuna, then Mukuro might not have gotten into a fight in the first place and he certainly wouldn't have been in such bad shape.

"Let's go, then."

Yamamoto and Gokudera accompanied them back, often helping Tsuna with propping Mukuro up. Mukuro occasionally put in a few remarks of his own which all succeeded in riling Gokudera up and sometimes getting Tsuna to blush. From the look on his face though, it appeared as though Mukuro was concentrating on something else.

Tsuna felt uneasy. Except Reborn would be there, right? Mukuro couldn't possibly do something to harm his mother or Lambo. He hoped I-pin wouldn't come back to their home within the next few days or so. From what he'd gathered, she was on some type of training trip with her master. Of course, I-pin was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

It wasn't as though Mukuro hadn't known where Tsuna lived before. He'd just never been in the house before. Tsuna hoped.

They got there after a mildly uncomfortable walk. Tsuna parted ways with Yamamoto-kun and Gokudera-kun with reluctance.

"Mama? Can Mukuro-san stay here for a while?"

"Of course, Tsuna-kun! You can invite any of your friends to stay over as long as they'd like," his mother chirped. "Oh, you're the nice boy that invited my Tsuna to dinner, aren't you…?"

"Yeah, so we'll be up in my room!" Tsuna called, hustling Mukuro up the stairs before his mother could exit the kitchen and see what shape he was in. He did not want his mother to be exposed to any fighting or the results of it.

He'd just have to hope that she wouldn't suddenly get the urge to clean his room.

"How nice," Mukuro purred. "Did you want me in your bed so badly?"

Tsuna blushed, kicking his clothes and papers into a corner. Then he tidied up the rest of his things, aware that Mukuro was staring at his back.

"Now tell me, Tsuna-kun," Mukuro's voice hardened. "Why does Gokudera Hayato call you the Tenth?" _Why are you such a good fighter?_

Tsuna swallowed. Looked into Mukuro's red and blue eyes. Cleared his throat. "Because I'm the Vongola Decimo."

* * *

**A/N:** Finally! I'd actually planned for him to confess a lot later, but this seemed like the perfect chance. Looks like the honeymoon period's over, huh? And yes, I know it's unrealistic for Tsuna to beat both Mukuro and Hibari, but I'm basing it kind of on the idea that he's older now with years of training. Also, they were already tired from fighting. I'm not entirely sure what happened to Ken and Chikusa. Maybe Mukuro won't miss them until he's out of Tsuna's house?


End file.
